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/ 1 December 2007

The day medical history was rewritten

Nearly forty years ago, in the middle of the night at a Cape Town hospital, South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard rewrote medical history when he carried out the first-ever heart transplant. The operation captivated the imagination of the world, catapulting Barnard and South Africa on to the world stage and leading to hundreds of similar operations around the globe.

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/ 12 September 2007

Steve Biko: Icon 30 years after his death

Thirty years after dying in prison in apartheid South Africa, Steve Biko remains a historical icon, even if his black consciousness movement no longer carries political weight. A fervent anti-apartheid and freedom activist, Biko’s popularity in the new South Africa is rooted in culture, providing ideas for the shaping of the identity of young black South Africans.

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/ 5 September 2007

SABC under fire after breaking ranks

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has been accused of systematic pro-government bias after taking a different stance from most fellow journalists in coverage of the controversial health minister. Allegations against the SABC mounted after its executive chief, Dali Mpofu, sent a resignation letter to the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef).